African Tours & Holidays in Africa
Safaris in Africa

We spent three days in Nairobi volunteering with One Horizon, which combines donations with voluntee

We spent three days in Nairobi volunteering with One Horizon, which combines donations with volunteer opportunities. We helped cook lunch in the Kikuyu township each day, twice for groups of children and once for a group of grandmas. Each meal was similar, rice or pasta, fried cabbage, a thin beef and vegetable soup and chapatis. We picked pebbles and dirt out of the rice (it had been dried by the side of the road), chopped vegetables, minced garlic, stirred soup, rolled and fried chapati. I have no illusions about the relative value of our labor vs our donations, but cooking was fun for all of us – it was nice to do something tangible with your hands to help people. And the people were clearly appreciative of the food – even the youngest kids ate gigantic portions and came back for more. It was likely the only meal of the day for some of them. It was also great to get to interact with the people, playing games with the kids and talking to the grandmas. One Horizon has set up a pig farming program for the grandmas, with four or five sows producing litters of piglets every month or so to generate a steady income for their families. When the pigs were being fed the cacophony was deafening! Each plot of land might have 3-5 houses (for grandma and for their children’s families), an outhouse and a pig sty all crammed together. Perhaps some chickens or goats and a small vegetable garden also. The grandmas had heartbreaking stories to tell of poverty, hunger, missed education, teen pregnancies, absent and/or alcoholic fathers, domestic violence, depression, and suicide attempts that cycle through generations. They stumbled across One Horizon as a lifeline for a steady meal for their grandchildren who they are typically raising and supporting as their kids try to make their own way, which relived pressure on the household to only have to feed the adults. But it is the steady income from the pigs that has broken the cycle and given stability to these families who now are able to keep their kids studying through high school and even aspiring for university. We were glad to get a window into the lives of ordinary Kenyans and do a little bit to help improve them

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Jeremy

Wow, what a most wonderful day! Being picked up and dropped off at your hotel was a real plus. Solom

Wow, what a most wonderful day! Being picked up and dropped off at your hotel was a real plus. Solomon and Mary were lovely hosts from One Horizon that took good care of us and prepared us well for the day! The Masai family was lovely and so warm. We enjoyed learning about they live and even making our own beaded bracelets. Bring extra money as you can purchase goods from them at the end of you like, but there is no pressure to do so. My 11 year old was very engaged throughout the day and bonded with the son of the family. I would recommend this experience to anyone with any curiosity of the Masai people. We loved One Horizon!

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Jodi Bockenstette

I’ve had the privilege to travel all over the world and have had many different types of experienc

I’ve had the privilege to travel all over the world and have had many different types of experiences. My wife and I are both professionals and we, along with our two children age 13 and 10, joined Colin and the team from One Horizon Africa for a private tour in Nairobi. It was an absolutely fantastic experience. Colin is one of the kindest and most genuine people I have met on my travels. The work he does to help those in need in Kenya is absolutely outstanding. We had the opportunity to interact with several people from his organization and all were fantastic. The highlight was the visit to the Maasai homes. It was very genuine and heartfelt. It was not your typical tourist experience. My children did not want to leave when the time to go had arrived. The One Horizon vehicles were exceptional and we felt 100% safe the entire time. If you have a free day in Nairobi I would absolutely recommend this over the typical recommended activities which include the giraffe center and elephants. While these are entertaining they are nowhere near the level of cultural immersion you’ll get out of the One Horizon team. We absolutely will recommend them to our friends and will visit again when we are back.

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Chad Perlyn

This trip is the most empowering and unforgettable day I have ever experienced whilst in Kenya. The

This trip is the most empowering and unforgettable day I have ever experienced whilst in Kenya. The woman is so courageous and I am so grateful for them sharing their stories and giving an insight into their lives. Mam is such an inspiring woman, she has changed so many of those woman’s lives. One horizon should be very proud of what they have achieved and the lives they have helped to bring light into such darkness.

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Ashleigh Walton

WOW what an inspiration to everyone! If you’re in Nairobi you must do this experience- Review:

WOW what an inspiration to everyone! If you’re in Nairobi you must do this experience- Review: Go Granny Go was an incredible experience for me – to learn about the lives of the grandmas and their struggles through life and how resilient they are was so inspiring. They welcomed you into their homes and spoke about their lives and how the project has helped them to earn money and provide food for their grandchildren as well as themselves. It was so inspiring to listen to and they even taught me how to make chapatis! Anyone who goes to Nairobi must include this experience!

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Vicki

One Horizon has established a great program to help women who’ve endured a great deal get back on

One Horizon has established a great program to help women who’ve endured a great deal get back on their feet to try to break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families. The stories you’ll hear are compelling and listening to the rationale of the program itself provides a lot of insight into certain parts of Kenyan life. My children enjoyed the chance to make chapati and feed the pigs as well, so the whole trip works on multiple levels.

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David_P